Botanical classification/cultivar denomination: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Gala Red.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Gala Redxe2x80x99.
The new Poinsettia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Ashtabula, Ohio and Lompoc, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Poinsettia cultivars with upright and uniform plant habit and attractive flower bract coloration.
The new Poinsettia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 1996 in Ashtabula, Ohio of a proprietary Poinsettia seedling selection identified as 92-218-3, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Poinsettia cultivar Fiscor, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,364, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Poinsettia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Lompoc, Calif. in 1998.
Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia by vegetative terminal cuttings taken at Lompoc, Calif., has shown that the unique features of this new Poinsettia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Gala Redxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Gala Redxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Poinsettia cultivar:
1. Compact, uniform and upright plant growth habit.
2. Strong lateral branches.
3. Freely branching habit.
4. Dark green-colored leaves.
5. Inflorescences with dark red-colored flower bracts that resist fading.
6. Excellent post-production longevity.
Plants of the new Poinsettia differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection primarily in plant growth habit.
Plants of the new Poinsettia can be compared to plants of the male parent, the cultivar Fiscor. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lompoc, Calif., plants of the new Poinsettia differed from plants of the cultivar Fiscor in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Poinsettia had larger leaves than plants of the cultivar Fiscor.
2. Plants of the new Poinsettia flowered about 3.5 to 7 days earlier than plants of the cultivar Fiscor.
3. Plants of the new Poinsettia had darker red-colored flower bracts than plants of the cultivar Fiscor.
4. Plants of the new Poinsettia tolerated high night temperatures better than plants of the cultivar Fiscor.
Plants of the new Poinsettia can be compared to cultivar Fiscor Dark Red, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,723. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lompoc, Calif., plants of the new Poinsettia differed from plants of the cultivar Fiscor Dark Red in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Poinsettia were more upright and had stronger lateral branches than plants of the cultivar Fiscor Dark Red.
2. Plants of the new Poinsettia had shorter and thicker leaf petioles than plants of the cultivar Fiscor Dark Red.
3. Plants of the new Poinsettia flowered about 3.5 to 7 days earlier than plants of the cultivar Fiscor Dark Red.
4. Plants of the new Poinsettia had darker red-colored flower bracts than plants of the cultivar Fiscor Dark Red.